Nickelodeon acquires The Bureau of Magical Things and new stars are born

The live-action, children’s TV series, The Bureau of Magical Things, supported by the Queensland Government through Screen Queensland, and produced by Queensland-based Jonathan M. Shiff Productions, has been acquired by Nickelodeon.

The 20-part, 30-minute series will premiere in the U.S. on 8 October airing on Nickelodeon’s channels and branded media blocks across 170+ countries and territories.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said Jonathan Shiff (Mako: Island of Secrets, H20: Just Add Water) is one of Queensland’s greatest export success stories with his succession of high-quality children’s and family television reaching millions of global viewers.

“Jonathan Shiff has succeeded again in selling one of his premium children’s TV series supported by my Government in the international marketplace,” the Premier said.

“Nickelodeon is one of the world’s biggest networks for children’s and family viewing and along with The Bureau of Magical Things, Queensland will be showcased in more than 500 million households across more than 170 countries and territories.”

Jonathan achieved similar success with his previous international hits, Mako: Island of Secrets and H20: Just Add Water.

“The Bureau of Magical Things was filmed on the Gold Coast and Brisbane in 2017 and was set against the backdrop of Gold Coast beaches and homes and Brisbane cityscapes.

“My Government’s support of this production through the Production Attraction Strategy resulted in the creation of 200 cast and crew jobs and generated over $8.6 million in direct Queensland Production Expenditure.

“The young lead cast hailing from Brisbane, Gold Coast and Cairns will now become some of Australia’s most famous young actors with this Nickelodeon acquisition.

“Jonathan’s eye for talent is second to none and his previous productions have helped to launch the careers of Liam Hemsworth and Margot Robbie (The Elephant Princess), and H20 stars Phoebe Tonkin and Claire Holt,” Ms Palaszczuk said.

The cast is led by Brisbane actress Kimie Tsukakoshi (The Family Law) who is joined by siblings Elizabeth Cullen and Julian Cullen, who both grew up in Cairns before moving to the Gold Coast, along with Gold Coast actors Mia Milnes, Rainbow Wedell (Terra Nova) and Jamie Carter (Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales) as well as Brisbane’s Christopher Sommers (Predestination, The Water Diviner) and Melanie Zanetti (Tracks).

“Queensland shines in its leading role and we expect it to positively effect the flow of tourism to our state.

“The tourism opportunities that these high-end TV series bring to Queensland are significant as they can showcase Queensland’s stunning and diverse locations to an engaged international audience, as well as putting the spotlight on our local talented technical and creative cast and crew to attract more offshore productions,” the Premier said.

Far North Queensland-based Jonathan Shiff said: “Queensland talent, together with strong technical crew and stunning location backdrops make The Bureau of Magical Things a high-quality production full of fantasy, surprise and adventure. We are thrilled that Nickelodeon will now bring our stunning Queensland cast of magical heroes to such an incredible global audience.”

The Bureau of Magical Things follows the adventures of Kyra, a regular teenage girl who discovers a secret world of magic all around her and who must unite fairies, elves and humans to save them all.

The Bureau of Magical Things is produced by Jonathan M. Shiff Productions, and supported by principal investment from Screen Australia, in association with the Queensland Government through Screen Queensland, with further support from the City of Gold Coast. This series was commissioned by ZDF Germany and Network Ten Australia and first broadcast in Australia on Channel Eleven. The series is distributed globally by ZDF Enterprises.